🇬🇧 UK Salary Guide 2026
The UK median full-time salary is £39,039 — but that single number hides a huge regional and sector spread. Here's what's realistic to expect and negotiate for.
Worked example: does a job offer meet the Skilled Worker rules?
| Check | Result |
|---|---|
| Offer | £45,000 for a software developer |
| General minimum | £41,700: met |
| Going rate for the occupation code | Must also be met; use the higher of the two |
| Take-home pay | about £2,993 a month after tax and National Insurance |
The National Picture
According to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (April 2025, provisional), median gross annual earnings for full-time employees were £39,039, up 4.3% from £37,439 a year earlier. The same survey puts median full-time weekly earnings at £766.60 and median hourly pay (excluding overtime) at £19.67. The median is the exact middle: half of full-time employees earn more, half less. ONS prefers it to the mean because the mean is pulled up by a small number of very high earners, so the median is the fairer yardstick for judging your own offer.
The annual figure covers employees who had been in their job for at least a year, so it isn't directly comparable with the weekly and hourly figures. By sector, median full-time weekly pay was £807.67 in the public sector and £752.28 in the private sector. The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over is £12.71 an hour from April 2026, up from £12.21.
For your own situation, the national median is only a starting point. ONS publishes interactive tools to look up annual earnings for your occupation and median weekly earnings in your local authority. ONS also notes that the regions with the smallest pay growth in the year were the South East (2.9%) and Wales (4.2%), while Northern Ireland grew fastest (7.4%), partly because of public sector pay awards. The next ASHE edition will replace these figures.
Pay Differs Less Than Rent Does
Salary gaps between regions are usually smaller than rent gaps, which is why a higher salary in an expensive area doesn't always mean more money left over. Here is a transparent illustration using two verified inputs. A full-time employee on the UK median of £39,039 takes home about £2,636 a month after 20% Income Tax and 8% National Insurance above the £12,570 Personal Allowance (the method the Treasury describes). ONS puts the average private rent at £2,332 a month in London and £788 in the North East (August 2026).
| Same £2,636 take-home | Average rent | Left after rent |
|---|---|---|
| London | £2,332 | £304 (12%) |
| North East | £788 | £1,848 (70%) |
This deliberately applies one salary to both places, so it isolates housing. London salaries are usually higher, but the question for any offer is whether the extra pay covers the extra rent, council tax and travel. It also compares the average whole home with one person's pay, so sharers and couples will see different numbers. See the UK housing guide for the full rent figures and what changed for renters in England in 2026.
What Salary Your Visa Needs
On the Skilled Worker route, GOV.UK says the minimum salary is whichever is higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation code. The going rate can be above £41,700: GOV.UK's own example is a £42,000 salary that fails because the job's going rate is £45,000. Your employer must also make sure the job pays at least the minimum wage and meets the working-hours rules, or the application is refused. Since 22 July 2025, jobs classed as medium-skilled are eligible only if they are on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, so check your occupation code on the eligible occupations table.
You can sometimes be paid less, but never below £33,400, and the rules are specific:
- New entrants can be paid 70% of the going rate if the salary is at least £33,400 and they are under 26 on the date they apply, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training. That means the new-entrant salary can be higher than £33,400 for some jobs. This route is capped at four years in total, including any time on a Graduate visa. Check the salary table for your job.
- Relevant PhD: a STEM PhD allows 80% of the going rate with a floor of £33,400, while a relevant non-STEM PhD allows 90% with a floor of £37,500.
- Postdoctoral roles in certain science and higher education occupation codes allow 70% of the going rate, also capped at four years.
- Immigration Salary List jobs need at least £33,400 and still the standard going rate, with a lower visa fee.
- Health and care jobs follow separate rules based on national pay scales; on the Health and Care Worker route the threshold can be as low as £25,000, as the page on NHS Employers sets out.
Extensions and job changes have their own, sometimes lower, requirements. Immigration law firms report that sponsorship under the Temporary Shortage List generally doesn't allow you to bring dependants, so weigh that, not just the salary (one summary); check the list's current conditions on GOV.UK before relying on it.
Checking an Offer Before You Accept
- Get the occupation code in writing. Ask your employer for the four-digit code, or look your job up in the CASCOT tool GOV.UK points to, and check the description matches what you'll actually do.
- Check two numbers, not one. Your salary must be at least the general threshold or reduced floor that applies to you and at least the going rate for that code.
- Confirm the salary route on your certificate of sponsorship. If you're relying on a reduced rate, confirm your category (new entrant, PhD, Immigration Salary List) matches what your employer has stated.
- If you're paid less than your certificate says, that's a problem to raise. Contact the Acas pay and work rights helpline if you're not getting at least the minimum wage, and see our work visa page for what happens if your sponsor's compliance fails.
Where Salary Comparisons Go Wrong
- Comparing your offer to a mean you found online. The ONS headline is the median (£39,039 for full-time employees), and sources that quote a mean often mix different measures.
- Ignoring housing. Rent differs far more than pay, so compare what's left after rent, not the gross figure.
- Assuming any salary above £41,700 qualifies. The going rate for your occupation code can be higher.
- Treating £33,400 as a fixed new-entrant salary. It's a floor; new entrants must also be paid 70% of the going rate.
- Relying on a shortage-list route without reading its conditions. Dependant rights and eligibility can differ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good salary in the UK in 2026?
The ONS median for full-time employees is £39,039 (April 2025), so anything above it is above the midpoint. What counts as comfortable depends heavily on rent: an average London rent would take about 88% of take-home pay on that median salary, against about 30% in the North East.
What is the minimum salary for a UK Skilled Worker visa?
GOV.UK says it's the higher of £41,700 a year or the going rate for your occupation code. Reduced rates apply for new entrants, PhD holders, postdocs and Immigration Salary List jobs, but never below £33,400 (or £25,000 for eligible health and care roles).
Do recent graduates get a lower salary threshold?
Yes, but it isn't a single fixed figure. New entrants can be paid 70% of the going rate if the salary is at least £33,400, so it can be higher for some jobs. You qualify if you're under 26, studying or a recent graduate, or in professional training, and the route is capped at four years including time on a Graduate visa.
Does a higher salary in London always mean a better financial position?
Not necessarily. On the same take-home pay, the ONS average rent in London (£2,332) would leave about £304 a month, against about £1,848 in the North East (£788). London salaries are usually higher, so compare what's left after rent, council tax and travel rather than the gross figure.
What is the National Living Wage in 2026?
£12.71 an hour for workers aged 21 and over from April 2026, up from £12.21, according to GOV.UK.